IAMBRIGITTE : Dinner Date at Samurai Restaurant, Abu Dhabi...

Ask me what's my favourite cuisine and I would say "Japanese" without thinking twice. So when I took the hubby out for dinner last week, I already know what we're going to have. Actually, I just knew we both want a good japanese dinner…but I didn't know where to go.

I got a couple of suggestions from my officemates. They suggested Sushi Central and Samurai. But when I told them I'm also craving for Ramen, they told me to go for Samurai as their menu is more extensive than that of Sushi Central's.

And so we did...

Samurai Restaurant

Behind Al Diar Capital Hotel

Meena Street, Tourist Club Area

Abu Dhabi

Usually, it's a pain to look for parking any where in Abu Dhabi. But maybe we were just too lucky that time as we were able to find one just across the restaurant.

Yes, that's a kabayan greeting us as soon as we entered the restaurant!

^_^

I'm not sure but I can't remember hearing them say Irasshaismase to welcome us in japanese. Not a big deal really, it's just that I always hear that whenever we go in a japanese restaurant.

my date, the "ex-bf"

^_^

our appetizer which came right after we placed our orders

this comes free, but it tastes good!

House Tea

Usually, House Tea comes free. But this one is not. I can't remember its price, though.

While waiting for our orders, I decided to take ninja shots of the place.
(laughs)

The place is clean and cozy. And lit just right making it perfect for a dinner date.

The Sushi Bar

..and the Sushi Master?
^_^

It didn't take long before our orders started arriving. Which is just perfect because I was starving already!

Kaniko Salad, AED 20

This salad looks like any other crab salad I've tried in the past but I think this is one of the best. The shredded crab sticks taste authentic. And the dressing isn't the usual japanese mayonnaise. Too bad, I wasn't able to ask what the dressing was.

Sushi Sashimi Platter, AED 80

Hubby and I have been craving for sashimi for quite sometime and though we both love tuna, we decided to go for the sushi-sashimi platter to know what we would order in ala carte the next time. This is good and filling, but I just wish it comes in a better-looking presentation.

Seafood Ramen

I love Ramen! And I seriously think I can live on Ramen, with some rice on the side. LOL! I wanted something spicy and they suggested this one. It tastes really good and there's a good amount of seafood in it too! But it lacks spice, so I opted for some good 'ole chili powder to add more spicy-ness.

Ebi Tempura, AED 55

What is a japanese dinner without tempura? Sadly, this dish didn't meet our expectations. It tastes bland and covered with too much breadcrumbs, or maybe the shrimps were just too tiny?

Edamame, AED 15

Ahh…the appetizer that came after almost everything else were in our table already. Appetizers should come first, right? Like the tempura, this was also a disappointment. It's overcooked, or shall I say, over-steamed? What I enjoy the most about eating edamame is the crunchiness and the subtle saltiness. This one's too soggy. Sniff.

Gyu Asupara Maki

Our favourite! And fortunately, this one didn't disappoint. It's full of flavor, the beef is tender and the asparagus aren't soggy.

Hubby and I were so full but I still wanted to get dessert, LOL! (I am such a pig, hahaha!) There's the usual crepes and ice cream and almost gave in to the latter, but good thing our server suggested their japanese cake which is not yet in their menu. I hesitated at first, but I can be such a push-over when it comes to food so I said yes.

And I'm so glad I did!

The cake was so yummy! It's soft and has the right amount of sweetness in it. It's so delicious it was gone in less than 5 minutes!

Overall, the dining experience was good. They did fall short on some things but they weren't too bad. I would still love to go back and try their other dishes. They also have a yakiniku where you can grill food in front of you, so maybe that's something we can try out next time. Total bill was AED 288. Not bad at all considering we ordered a lot.